System and method for delivering consumer product related information to consumers within retail environments using internet-based information servers and sales agents

ABSTRACT

A system and method are disclosed for finding and serving consumer product-related information over the Internet to consumers in retail shopping environments, as well as at home and work, and on the road. The system includes Internet information servers which store information pertaining to Universal Product Number (e.g. UPC number) preassigned to each consumer product registered with the system, along with a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that point to the location of one or more information resources on the Internet, e.g. World Wide Web-sites, which related to such registered consumer products. Upon entering the UPC number into the system using a conventional Internet browser program running on any computing platform or system, the menu of URLs associated with the entered UPC number is automatically displayed for user selection. The displayed menus of URLs are categorically arranged according to specific types of product information such as, for example: product specifications and operation manuals; product wholesalers and retailers; product advertisements and promotions; product endorsements; product updates and reviews; product warranty/servicing; related or complementary products; product incentives including rebates, discounts and/or coupons; manufacturer&#39;s annual report and 10K information; electronic stock purchase; etc. Web-based techniques are disclosed for collecting the UPC/URL information from manufacturers and transmitting the same to the Internet-based databases of the system.

RELATED CASES

This is a Continuation-in-Part of copending application Ser. No.08/826,120 entitled "System And Method For Collecting Consumer ProductRelated Information And Transmitting And Delivering The Same Along TheRetail Supply And Demand Chain Using The Internet" filed Mar. 27, 1997,which is a Continuation of Ser. No. 08/752,136 entitled "System AndMethod For Finding Product and Service Related Information On TheInternet" filed Nov. 19, 1996; which is a Continuation-in-Part ofcopending application Ser. No. 08/736,798 entitled "System And MethodFor Finding Product and Service Related Information On The Internet"filed on Oct. 25, 1996; each said Application being incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety as if set forth fully herein.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention generally relates to a novel system and method forcollecting consumer-product related information and transmitting anddelivering the same along the consumer-product supply and demand chainusing the National Information Infrastructure (e.g. the Internet), andmore particularly to a novel system and method for delivering consumerproduct related information to consumers within retail environmentsusing Internet-based information servers and sales agents.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

Dissemination of consumer-product information between manufacturers andtheir retail trading partners must be accurate and timely. Thetraditional methods of phone calls and faxes are time consuming andresource intensive. An electronic Universal Product Code (UPC) Catalog(i.e. database system), accessible 24 hours a day, is a solution. In1988, QuickResponse Services (QRS), Inc. Of Richmond, Calif., introducedthe first independent product information database, using the retailindustry standard UPC numbering system. Today the QRSolutions™ Catalogcontains information on over 44 million products from over 1500manufacturers. The QRSolutions Catalog is a Window's based applicationproviding a critical information flow link between the retailers and themanufacturers along the supply and demand chain.

After assigning a UPC number to each item, the manufacturer organizesand sends the data, via an electronic data interchange (i.e. EDI)transmission, or a tape, to QRS, Inc. to be loaded into the UPC Catalogdatabase. Changes to the data can be made on a daily basis. Retailerswith access to a manufacturer's data can view and download the data onceit has been added or updated. Automatic update capabilities ensure themost recent UPC data will be in the EDI mailbox of each retailercustomer quickly.

The effect of a centralized database such as QRS's UPC Catalog improvesthe flow of merchandise from the manufacturer to the retailer's sellingfloor and ultimately to the consumer. With the UPC Catalog, accurate,up-to-date product information is available when the retailer needs it,eliminating weeks from the order cycle time.

In addition to the electronic UPC-based product information subsystem(i.e. UPC Catalog) described above, a number of other informationsubsystems have been developed for the purpose of providing solutions toproblems relating to electronic commerce merchandising and logisticswithin the global supply chain. Such ancillary information subsystemsinclude, for example: Sales and Analysis and Forecasting Subsystems forproducing and providing retailers with information about what productsconsumers are buying; Collaborative Replenishment Subsystems fordetermining what products retailer can be buying in order to satisfyconsumer demand at any given point of time; and Transportation andLogistics Information Subsystems for producing and providing retailerswith information about when products purchased by them (at wholesale)will be delivered to the their stores. Typically, such informationsubsystems are connected to various value added information networks inorder to efficiently offer such information services to retailers on aglobal basis.

While the above-described information systems collectively cooperate tooptimize the process of moving raw materials into finished products andinto the hands of consumers, such information systems simply fail toaddress the information needs of the consumers of retail products whoeither require or desire product-related information prior to as well asafter the purchase of consumer-products.

Presently, an enormous amount of time, money and effort is beingexpended by companies in order to advertise and sell their products andservices, and after product purchase has taken place, to provide productrelated information, product warranty service and the like. For decades,various types of media have been used to realize such fundamentalbusiness functions.

In recent times, there has been a number of significant developments inconnection with the global information network called the "Internet",which has greatly influenced many companies to create multimediaInternet Web-sites in order to advertise, sell and maintain theirproducts and services. Examples of such developments include, forexample: the World Wide Web (WWW) based on the Hypertext Markup Language(HTML) and the Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP) by TimBerners-Lee, et al.; easy to use GUI-based Internet navigation tools,such as the Netscape® browser from Netscape Communications, Inc., theInternet Explorer™ browser from MicroSoft Corporation and the Mosaic™browser from Spyglass Corporation; and the Virtual Reality ModellingLanguage (VRML) by Mark Pecse. Such developments in recent times havemade it very easy for businesses to create 2-D Hypermedia-based HomePages and 3-D VR Worlds (i.e. 3-D Web-sites) for the purpose ofprojecting a desired "corporate image" and providing a backdrop forfinancial investment solicitation as well as product advertising, salesand maintenance operations.

Presently, a person desiring to acquire information about any particularproduct has a number of available search options. In particular, he orshe may attempt to directly contact the manufacturer, wholesaler orreseller by telephone, US mail, e-mail, or through the company's WorldWide Web-site (WWW), if they have one. In the event one decides toacquire product information through the seller's WWW site, he or shemust first determine the location of its WWW site (i.e. Internetaddress) which oftentimes can involve using Internet Search engines suchas Yahoo®, AltaVista™, WebCrawler™, Lycos™, Excite™, or the like. Thiscan be a very time consuming process and sometimes leads to a dead end.Once the Internet address is obtained, one must then review the homepage of the company's Web-site in order to find where, if at all,information about a particular product resides on the Website. Thissearch process can be both time consuming and expensive (in terms ofInternet time) and may not turn up desired information on the product ofinterest.

In some instances, product brochures bear a preprinted Internet addressdesigned to direct or point prospective customers to a particularWeb-site where more detailed product information can be found. A recentexample of this "preprinted Web Address" pointing technique is the 1996product brochure published by the Sony Corporation for its Sony® PCV-70Personal Computer, which refers prospective customers to the Sony WebAddress "http://www.sony.com/pc". While this approach provides a directway of finding product related information on the Internet, it is notwithout its shortcomings and drawbacks.

In particular, when a company improves, changes or modifies an existingWeb-site which publishes product and/or service advertisements andrelated information, it is difficult (if not impossible) not to changethe Internet locations (i.e. Web addresses) at which such product and/orservice advertisements and related information appear. Whenever acompany decides or is forced to change any of its advertising, marketingand/or public relations firms, there is a substantial likelihood thatnew Web-sites will be created and launched for particular products andservices, and that the Web addresses of such new Web-sites will nolonger correspond with the Web addresses on preprinted product brochuresin currently circulation at the time. This can result in pointing aconsumer to erroneous or vacant Web-sites, that present either old orotherwise outdated product and/or service information, possiblyadversely influencing the consumer's purchasing decision.

Moreover, when a company launches a new Web-site as part of a newadvertising and marketing campaign for a particular product, anypreprinted advertising or marketing material relating to such productswill not reflect the new Web-site addresses which the campaign isattempting to get consumers to visit. This fact about preprintedadvertising media renders it difficult to unify new and old advertisingmedia currently in circulation into an advertising and marketingcampaign having a coherent theme. In short, the inherently static natureof the "preprinted Web address" pointing technique described above iswholly incapable of adjusting to the dynamic needs of advertising,marketing and public relations firms alike.

In addition to the above-described techniques, I-World by Mecklermediahas recently launched a commercial product finding database on theInternet called "Internet Shopper". Notably, the "Internet Shopper"database is organized by specific types of product categories coveringcomputer and telecommunication related technologies. While this productinformation finding service may be of help to those looking to buycomputer or communication equipment, it fails to provide an easy way tofind information on previously purchased products, or on productsoutside of the field of communication or computer technology.Consequently, the value of this prior art technique is limited to thoseconsidering the purchase of products catalogued within the taxonomy ofthe "Internet Shopper" directory.

In view of the inherent limitations of I-World's "Internet Shopper" andother product finding directories on the Internet, such as "NetBuyer" byComputer Shopper (at "http://www.netbuyer.com"), the NationalInformation Infrastructure Testbed (NIIT) organization has recentlyformed a "confidential committee of NIIT members" under the title"Universal Product and Service Code Project". The stated problemaddressed by this Project is how to locate specific goods and serviceson the Internet, and compare prices and other critical marketinformation. As publicized in a NIIT Project Abstract, the "UniversalProduct and Service Code Project" seeks to make it easier toelectronically locate goods and services on the Internet using universalproduct and services identifiers and locators. As stated in the ProjectAbstract, the "NIIT believes that changing the way in which Internetinformation is organized is fundamental to solving this problem. In theUniversal Product and Service Code Project, NIIT members are currentlyexploring how coding structures can help organize information aboutproducts accessible using the Internet. NIIT's goal is to inform thedevelopment of formalized coding standards that can be used nationallyand internationally so that users can locate goods and services throughsimple searching and browsing methods. In turn, more advanced features,such as comparison shopping, can be added as "intelligent agent"software programs are refined to enable users to search and retrieveproducts linked to these structures."

While the NIIT's Universal Product and Service Code Project seeks waysof locating specific goods and services on the Internet, all proposalstherefor recommend the development of formalized coding standards andsearching and browsing methods which are expensive and difficult todevelop and implement on a world-wide basis. Moreover, such sought aftermethods will be virtually useless to consumers who have alreadypurchased products and now seek product related information on theInternet.

In summary, prior art "demand chain management systems" have provided:(i) procurement services consisting of UPC Catalogs accessible throughthe Internet and EDI networks; (ii) inventory management servicesconsisting of replenishment, sales analysis and forecasting services;and (iii) distribution management services consisting of EDI andlogistics management services. However, prior art "demand chainmanagement systems" have fail to address the information needs of theconsumers of retail products who either require or desireproduct-related information prior to `as well as after` the purchase ofconsumer-products. Consequently, prior art demand chain managementsystems operate in an open-loop mode with a "break" in information flowcycle, disabling the manufacturers from communicating with the consumersin an efficient manner to satisfy consumer needs.

Thus, it is clear that there is great need in the art for an improvedsystem and method for collecting product related information andtransmitting and delivering the same between the manufacturers andretailers of products to the consumers thereof in various environments,while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems andmethodologies.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide anovel method and apparatus for collecting product-related informationand transmitting and delivering the same between the manufacturers andretailers of products to the consumers thereof in retail shoppingenvironments as well as at home, at work and on the road, whileovercoming the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems andmethodologies.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus inthe form of novel consumer-product information collection, transmissionand delivery system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system withan Internet-based product information database subsystem which, for eachcommercially available consumer-product, stores a number of informationelements including: the name of the manufacturer; the Universal ProductCode (UPC) assigned to the product by the manufacturer; one or more URLsspecifying the location of information resources (e.g. Web-pages) on theInternet relating to the UPC-labelled consumer-product; and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, inwhich the URLs stored in the Internet-based product information databaseare categorically arranged and displayed according to specific types ofproduct information (e.g., product specifications and operation manuals;product wholesalers and retailers; product advertisements andpromotions; product endorsements; product updates and reviews; productwarranty/servicing; related or complementary products; productincentives including rebates, discounts and/or coupons; etc.) thatrelates to the kind of information required, desired or otherwise soughtby consumers, wholesalers, retailers and/or trading partners.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein the information maintained within the Internet-based productinformation database subsystem provides a manufacturer-definedconsumer-product directory that can be used by various persons along theretail supply and demand chain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein the manufacturers of consumer-products are linked to theretailers thereof in the middle of the supply and demand chain byallowing either trading partner to access consumer-product informationfrom the Internet-based product information database virtually 24 hoursa day, seven days a week.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein consumer-product manufacturers, their advertisers, distributorsand retailers are linked to the consumers of such products at the end ofthe supply and demand chain, by allowing such parties to accessconsumer-product information from the Internet-based product informationdatabase subsystem virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod of using the same, which will accelerate the acceptance ofelectronic commerce on the Internet and the development of theelectronic marketplace, which can be used by consumers and small andlarge businesses alike.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod for finding and serving consumer-product related information onthe Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein virtually any type of product can be registered with thesystem by symbolically linking or relating (i) its preassigned UniversalProduct Number (e.g. UPC or EAN number) or at least the ManufactureIdentification Number (MIN) portion thereof with (ii) the UniformResource Locators (URLs) of one or more information resources on theInternet (e.g. the home page of the manufacturer's Web-site) related tosuch products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein a Web-based document transport subsystem is provided foruse by manufacturers as well as their advertisers and agents inregistering the UPNs (e.g. UPC numbers) of their products and the URLsof the information resources related to such products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod with an improved Internet browser or Internet application toolcomprising an number of different modes, namely: an "InternetProduct-Information (IPI ) Finding" Button for entering the "IPI FindingMode" of the system when it is selected; a "Universal Product Number(UPN) Search" Button for entering the "UPN Search Mode" when the "UPNSearch" button is selected; and a "Product Registration" Button for the"Product Registration Mode" of the system when the "ProductRegistration" Button is selected.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein when the system is in its IPI Finder Mode, a predesignatedinformation resource (e.g. advertisement, product information, etc.)pertaining to any commercial product registered with the system can beautomatically accessed from the Internet and displayed from the Internetbrowser by simply entering the registered product's UPN into theInternet browser manually or by bar code symbol scanning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein when the system is in its "UPN Search Mode", a predesignatedinformation resource (e.g. advertisement, product information, etc.)pertaining to any commercial product registered with the system can beautomatically accessed from the Internet and displayed from the Internetbrowser by simply entering the registered product's trademark(s) and/orassociated company name into the Internet browser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein a predesignated information resource pertaining to anycommercial product having been assigned a Universal Product Number (UPN)can be accessed from the Internet and displayed from the Internetbrowser by simply selecting its IPI Find button and then entering theUPN numeric string into a dialogue box which pops up on the displayscreen of the Internet browser program.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system inwhich a relational database, referred to as "an Internet ProductDirectory (IPD)," is realized on one or more data-synchronized IPDServers for the purpose of registering product related information,namely: (i) information representative of commercial productdescriptions, the trademarks used in connection therewith, the companynames providing and/or promoting such products, the E-mail addresses ofsuch companies, and the corresponding URLs on the Internet specifyingcurrent (i.e. up-to-date) Internet Web-site locations providingproduct-related information customized to such products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a productinformation finding and serving system, wherein the URLs symbolicallylinked to each registered product in the IPD Servers thereof arecategorized as relating primarily to Product Advertisements, ProductSpecifications, Product Updates, Product Distributors, ProductWarranty/Servicing, and/or Product Incentives (e.g. rebates, discountsand/or coupons), and that such URL categories are graphically displayedto the requester by way of easy-to-read display screens during URLselection and Web-site connection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofcarrying out electronic-type commercial transactions involving thepurchase of products which are advertised on the Internet at uniformresource locations (URLs) that are registered with the IPI system of thepresent invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod of finding the UPN or USN associated with any particularregistered product, respectively, by simply selecting a GUI button onthe Internet browser display screen in order to enter a "UPN SearchMode", whereby (i) a dialogue box is displayed on the display screenrequesting any known trademarks associated with the product, and/or thename of the company that makes, sells or distributes the particularproduct, and (ii) the corresponding UPN (i.e. UPC number or EAN number)registered with the IPD Servers is displayed to the user for acceptance,whereupon the Internet Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) areautomatically accessed from the IPD Servers and displayed on the displayscreen of the Internet browser for subsequent URL selection and Web-siteconnection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein during the UPN Search Mode, the UPN (e.g. UPC or EANnumber) associated with any registered product can be found within thedatabase of the IPD Server using any trademark(s) and/or the companyname commonly associated with the product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod for serving consumer-product related information to Internetusers in retail shopping environments (e.g. departments stores,supermarkets, superstores, home-centers and the like) as well as athome, work or on the road.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod in the form of a computer-based kiosk installed within a retailshopping environment and having an automatic bar code symbol reader forreading the UPC numbers on consumer products being offered for sale inthe store, and also a LCD touch-type display screen for displayingproduct-related information accessed from hyper-linked Web-sites on theInternet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide "virtual salesagents" with retail shopping environments by installing thecomputer-based kiosks of the present invention therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofconstructing a relational database for use within the productinformation finding and serving subsystem of the present invention.

Another method of the present invention is to provide such a method ofdatabase construction, wherein the relational database is initially"seeded" with: (i) the Manufacturer Base UPC Numbers based on the sixdigit UPC Manufacturer Identification Numbers (MIN) assigned to themanufacturers by the UCC and incorporated into the first six charactersof each UPC number applied to the products thereof; and (ii) the URLs ofthe Web-site home pages of such manufacturers.

Another method of the present invention is to provide such a method ofdatabase construction, wherein the "seeded" relational database is thensubsequently extended and refined with the participation of eachregistered manufacturer (and/or agents thereof) by adding to the"seeded"database (iii) the 12 digit UPC numbers assigned to each productsold thereby and the menu of URLs symbolically linked to each suchcorresponding product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, in which Web-site-based advertising campaigns can be changed,modified and/or transformed in virtually any way imaginable by simplyrestructuring the symbolic links between the products and/or services inthe campaign using current (i.e. up-to-date) Web-site addresses at whichWeb-site advertisements and information sources related thereto arelocated on the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod of automatically soliciting companies to register their productswithin the databases of such IPD Servers in order that product relatedinformation of a multimedia nature (e.g. Web-sites), once registeredtherewith, can be easily found on the Internet by anyone using thesystem and method of the present invention.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparenthereinafter and in the Claims to Invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of how to practice the Objects of thePresent Invention, the following Detailed Description of theIllustrative Embodiments can be read in conjunction with theaccompanying Drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the various informationsubsystems provided by the consumer-product information collection,transmission and delivery system of invention along the consumer-productdemand chain, namely an Internet-based Product-Information (IPI) Findingand Serving Subsystem, a UPC-based Product-Information Subsystem ("UPCCatalog"), an Electronic Trading Information Subsystem, a Sales Analysisand Forecasting Information Subsystem, Collaborative ReplenishmentInformation Subsystem, and a Transportation and Logistics InformationSubsystem;

FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2 depict a schematic diagram of an illustrativeembodiment of the consumer-product information collection, transmissionand delivery system of the present invention shown embedded with theinfrastructure of the global computer communications network known asthe "Internet", and comprising a plurality of data-synchronized InternetProduct Directory (IPD) Servers connected to the infrastructure of theInternet, a UPC/URL Database Subsystem (i.e. UPCIURL Catalog) connectedto one or more of the IPD Servers and one or more globally-extensiveelectronic data interchange (EDI) networks, a Web-based Document Serverconnected to at least one of the IPD Servers and the Internetinfrastructure, a Web-based Document Administration Computer connectedto the Web-based Document Server by way of a TCP/IP connection, aplurality of Internet Product-Information (IPI) Servers connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet for serving consumer-product relatedinformation to consumers in retail stores and at home, a plurality ofClient Subsystems connected to the infrastructure of the Internet andallowing manufacturers to transmit consumer-product related informationto the Web-based Document Server for collection and retransmission tothe IPD Servers, and a plurality of Client Subsystems connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet and allowing consumers in retail storesand at home to request and receive consumer-product related informationfrom the IPD Servers;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of informationalong the consumer-product supply and demand chain, including (i) thecommunication link extending between the information subsystems ofmanufacturers of UPC-encoded products and the centralized (or master)UPC Catalog Database Subsystem of the consumer-product informationcollection, transmission and delivery system of the present invention,(ii) the communication link extending between the UPC/URL DatabaseSubsystem and the IPD Servers of the present invention, (iii) thecommunication link extending between the IPD Servers and in-store ClientSubsystems of retailers, (iv) the communication link extending betweenthe IPI Servers and the in-store Client Subsystems of retailers, (v) thecommunication link extending between the IPD Servers and the ClientSubsystems of consumers, and (vi) the communication link extendingbetween the IPI Servers and the Client Subsystems of consumers;

FIG. 3A1 is a graphical representation of a first illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present invention,designed for use in desktop environments at home, work and play;

FIG. 3A2 is a graphical representation of a second illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a multi-media kiosk, designed for use as a"virtual sales agent" in retail shopping environments such as departmentstores, supermarkets, superstores, retail outlets and the like;

FIG. 3B is a schematic representation of an exemplary display screenproduced by a graphical user interface (GUI) based web browser programrunning on a Client System and providing an on-screen IPI Find button.

FIG. 3C is a schematic representation of an exemplary display screenproduced by a GUI-based Internet browser or communication programsupporting a Netscape-style browser "display framework", providing anultra-compact on-screen IPD Web-site control panel having an IPI Findbutton, an UPN Search Button, and a Product Registration Button carryingout the method of the present invention;

FIG. 4A1 is a schematic representation of the relational-type IPIRegistrant Database maintained by each IPD Server configured into thesystem of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, showingthe information fields for storing (i) the information elementsrepresentative of the UPN (e.g. UPC numeric data structure, EAN numericdata structure, and/or National Drug Code (NDC) numeric data structure),URLs, trademark(s) (TM_(i)), Company Name (CN_(i)), Product Description(PD_(i)) and E-Mail Address (EMA_(i)) thereof symbolically-linked (i.e.related) for a number of exemplary IPI Registrants listed (i.e.registered) with the IPI Registrant Database maintained by each IPDServer;

FIG. 4A2 is a schematic representation of the information subfieldstructure of the URL Information Field of the IPI Database of FIG. 4A1,showing the Product Advertisement Information Field, the ProductSpecification (Description/Operation) Information Field, the ProductUpdate Information Field, the Product Distributor/Reseller/DealerInformation Field, the Product Warranty/Servicing Information Field, theProduct Incentive Information Field thereof, the Product ReviewInformation Field, the Related Products Information Field, andMiscellaneous Information Fields detailed in greater detail hereinafter;

FIG. 4B is a schematic representation of the relational-type Non-IPIRegistrant Database maintained by each IPD Server that is configuredinto the IPI finding and serving subsystem of the illustrativeembodiment of the present invention, showing the information fields forstoring (i) the information elements representative of the Company Name(CN_(i)), Trademark(s) (TM_(i)) registered by the associated Company,and E-Mail Address (EMA_(i)) thereof symbolically-linked for a number ofexemplary Non-IPI registrants listed within the Non-IPI RegistrantDatabase maintained by each IPD Server;

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa first type of communication protocol that can be used among the ClientSystem C_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) of the IPIfinding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browser programrunning on the Client System is in its IPI Find Mode of operation,requesting as input a UPN (i.e. UPN data structure) to determine theURL(s) of the corresponding product registered therewith;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa first type of communication protocol that can be used among the ClientSystem C_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) of the IPIfinding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browser program on theClient System is in its UPN Search Mode of operation, requesting asinput a trademark and/or company name in order to determine the UPN(i.e. UPN data structure) of the corresponding product and thus theURL(s) registered therewith;

FIG. 6A is a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involved incarrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 5A when the ClientSystem is in its IPI Find Mode of operation;

FIG. 6B is a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involved incarrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 5A when the ClientSystem is in its UPN Search mode of operation;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa second type of communication protocol that can be used among theClient System C_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) ofthe IPI finding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browserprogram on the Client System is in its IPI Find Mode of operation,requiring as input a UPN to determine the URL(s) of the correspondingproduct registered therewith;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa second type of communication protocol that can be used among theClient System C_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) ofthe IPI finding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browserprogram on the Client System is in its UPN Search Mode of operation,requiring as input a trademark and/or company name in order to determinethe UPN of the corresponding product and thus the URL(s) registeredtherewith;

FIG. 8A is a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involved incarrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 7A when the ClientSystem is in its IPI Find Mode of operation; and

FIG. 8B is a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involved incarrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 7A when the ClientSystem is in its UPN Search Mode of operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENTINVENTION

Referring to the figures shown in the accompanying Drawings, likestructures and elements shown throughout the figures thereof shall beindicated with like reference numerals.

Overview Of The System Of The Present Invention

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the consumer-product information collection,transmission and delivery system of the present invention is generallyindicated by reference numeral 1 and comprises an integration ofinformation subsystems, namely: an IPI finding and serving subsystem 2for allowing consumers to find product related information on theInternet (e.g. WWW) at particular Uniform Resource Locators (URLs),using UPC numbers and/or trademarks and tradenames symbolically-linkedor related thereto; a UPC Product-Information Subsystem ("UPC Catalog")3 for providing retailers with accurate up-to-date product informationon numerous consumer-products offered for wholesale to retailers bymanufacturers registering there products therewith; a Electronic TradingInformation Subsystem 4 for providing trading partners (e.g. amanufacturer and a retailer) to sell and purchase consumer goods bysending and receiving documents (e.g. purchase orders, invoices, advanceslip notices, etc.) to consummate purchase and sale transactions usingeither EDI transmission or Web-based electronic document communications;a Sales Analysis and Forecasting Information Subsystem for providingretailers with information about what products consumers are currentlybuying at retail stores or expect to be buying in the near future;Collaborative Replenishment Information Subsystem 6 for determining whatproducts retailers can be buying in order to satisfy consumer demand atany given point in time; a Transportation and Logistics InformationSubsystem 7 for providing retailers with information about when orderedproducts (purchased by retailers at wholesale) will be delivered to theretailer's stores; and Input/Output Port Connecting Subsystems 8 forinterconnecting the input and output ports of the above-identifiedsubsystems through the infrastructure of the Internet and variousvalue-added EDI networks of global extent. Notably, unlike prior artsupply chain management systems, the consumer-product informationcollection, transmission and delivery system of the present inventionembraces the manufacturers, retailers, and consumers of UPC-encodedproducts, and not simply the manufacturers and retailers thereof. Aswill become apparent hereinafter, this important feature of the presentinvention allows manufacturers and retailers to deliver valuable productrelated information to the consumers of their products, therebyincreasing consumer purchases, consumer satisfaction and consumerloyalty. Prior art supply chain management systems simply have no way ormeans of providing such information services to the consumers ofUPC-encoded products along the consumer-product supply and demand chain.

As shown in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2, the consumer-product informationcollection, transmission and delivery system illustrated in FIG. 1 isrealized as an arrangement of system components, namely: a centralUPC/URL Database Subsystem 9 for storing and serving various types ofconsumer-product information to retailers and consumers alike (e.g. thename of the product's manufacturer; the Universal Product Code (UPC)assigned to the product by the manufacturer; one or more URLs specifyingthe location of information resources on the Internet at whichparticular kinds of information relating to the consumer-product can befound; merchandise classification; style number; tradename; informationspecifying the size, color and other relevant characteristics of theconsumer-product, where applicable; ordering criteria; availability andbooking dates, etc.); a globally-based (packet-switched) digitaltelecommunications network (such as the Internet) 10 having aninfrastructure including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), NetworkService Providers (NSPs), routers, telecommunication lines, channels,etc., for supporting packet-switched type digital datatelecommunications using the TCP/IP networking protocol well known inthe art; one or more Internet Product Finding Directory (IPD) Servers,each indicated by reference numeral 11 and being connected to theInternet at strategically different locations via the Internetinfrastructure 10 and data-synchronized with each other in order thateach such Server maintains a mirrored database structure as representedin FIGS. 4A and 4B; a plurality of Internet Product-Information (IPI)Servers, each indicated by reference numeral 12 and being connected tothe Internet via the Internet infrastructure; a plurality of User (orClient) Computers, each indicated by reference numeral 13, beingconnected to the Internet via the Internet infrastructure and availableto consumers (C₁, C₂, C₃, . . . ,C_(i)); one or more data communication(i.e. EDI) networks 14, comprising data collection nodes 15 andcommunication links 16, operably connected to the centralized UPC/URLDatabase Subsystem 9, each Client Computer 13 available to aManufacturer (M₁, M₂, M₃, . . . , M_(j)) and Retailer (R₁, R₂, R₃, . . ., R_(k)) within the retail supply and demand chain; a Web-based DocumentServer 30 connected to at least one of the IPD Servers 11 and theInternet infrastructure, for transferring documents and messages toremote Client Computer Systems during the registration of manufacturersand consumer products with the system hereof and periodically updatingproduct-related information with the IPD Servers 11 in an automaticmanner; and a Web-based Document Administration Computer 31 connected tothe Web-based Document Server 30 by way of a TCP/IP connection 32, foradministrating the registration of manufacturers and products with thesystem, initiating the transfer of consumer product related information(e.g. menu of URLs) between the remote Client Computer Systems andWeb-Based Document Server 30, transferring such information to the IPDServers 11, and maintaining local records of such information transfersand the like.

Preferably, the central UPCJURL Database Subsystem 9 and at least one ofthe IPD Servers 11 are located at a secured informationstorage/processing center 17, along with a multiprocessor (or mainframe)computer system, information servers, routers, data communication lines,disk storage devices (e.g. RAIDs), tape drives and tape-library system,uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), and other peripheral technology toprovide on-line, batch and back-up operations. However, the IPI Servers,the Client Computers and the other IPD Servers (if provided for databasemirroring purposes), typically will be located throughout the world, asthe distribution of manufacturers, retailers and consumers who areencouraged to use the system are scattered across the Planet.

In the illustrative embodiment, the Web-based Document Server 30 is aWindows NT Server running WebDox™ Server software from PremenosCorporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows NT Server can be realizedusing a suitable computer system having a Pentium® or higher CPU, 64 MBof RAM or higher, running (i) Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or higherOperating System software from Microsoft Corporation, (ii) MicrosoftInternet Information Server 2.0 or higher from Microsoft Corporation,and (iii) Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 or higher software from MicrosoftCorporation. Also, the WebDox™ Server is provided with a dedicatedInternet connection (i.e. ISDN or better) to the Internet infrastructure33.

The EDI administration computer 31 is either a Windows 95 or Windows NTComputer system running WebDox Admin™ software from Premenos Corporationof Concord, Calif. The Windows 95 or Windows NT computer system 31 canbe realized using a suitable computer system having an Intel 486 orhigher CPU, 12 MB of RAM or higher, running Microsoft Windows 95 orWindows NT 4.0 or higher, and having a TCP/IP connection 31 to theWebDoX™ Server 30.

In order to use the WebDox™ system, each remote Client Computer System13 includes either a Windows 95 or Windows NT Computer system runningWebDox Remote™ software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. TheWindows 95 or Windows NT computer system 13 can be realized using asuitable computer system having a Intel 486 or higher CPU, 16 MB of RAMor higher, and a VGA monitor or better, and running (i) MicrosoftWindows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher Operating System (OS) software,and (ii) Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher from MicrosoftCorporation. Also, the WebDox Remote™ Server is provided with a dial-upInternet connection (i.e. 14,400 bps or better) to the Internetinfrastructure. The function of the Web-based Document Server 30,Web-based Administration System 31 and remote client systems 13 runningthe Premenos® WebDox Remote™ software is to provide a Web-based DocumentTransport System for automatically transferring information (e.g.UPC/URLs) from manufacturers to the IPD Servers of the system in orderto periodically update the same. While the illustrative embodiment ofthis Web-based Document Transport System has been described in terms ofits implementation using the WebDox™ system from Premenos, it isunderstood that other commercially available electronic documenttransport systems (e.g. COMMERCE:FORMS™ Electronic Business FormsPackage from Sterling Commerce, Inc., http://www.stercomm.com) can beused to carry out this subsystem. The operation of this Web-BasedDocument Transport System will be described in detail hereinafter withrespect to the collection and delivery of consumer product relatedinformation to the IPDs hereof.

The major subsystem components comprising the consumer-productinformation collection, transmission and delivery system of the presentinvention will be described in greater detail below.

In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the UPCProduct-Information Subsystem 2 is realized using the UPC/URL CatalogDatabase Subsystem 9 and data communication networks 14 of the enablingtechnology platform shown in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2. Preferably, the productprocurement services delivered by the UPC/URL Catalog Database Subsystem9 are provided by modifying the prior art QRSolutions UPC Catalogcurrently implemented by QuickResponse Services, Inc., so that thissubsystem includes the database structures (i.e. information fields anddata elements) of the IPD Database Server 11 which are neither found inor suggested by the prior art QRSolutions UPC Catalog. The structure andoperation of the UPCIURL Catalog Database Subsystem and IPD Server ofthe present invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter.The information services supported by the UPC Product-InformationSubsystem 3 include those provided by the prior art QRSolutions UPCCatalog, and also a number of additional information services that canbe used to carry out Product Registration within the IPI finding andserving subsystem of the present invention. These additional informationservices will be described in greater detail hereinafter with referenceto FIG. 2B.

The Electronic Trading Information Subsystem 4 is realized using theUPC/URL Catalog Database Subsystem 9, Client Computer Systems 13 anddata communication networks 14 of the enabling technology platform shownin FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2. Preferably, the inventory procurement servicesdelivered by the Electronic Trading Subsystem 4 are provided by theprior art QRSolutions Econnect and Electronic Data Interchange Servicescurrently being implemented by QuickResponse Services, Inc.

Sale Analysis and Forecasting Information Subsystem 5 is realized usinginformation storage/processing center 1 , Client Computer Systems 13,and the data communication networks 14 of the enabling technologyplatform shown in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2. Preferably, the product inventorymanagement services delivered by the Sale Analysis and ForecastingInformation Subsystem 5 are provided by the prior art QRSolutions SaleAnalysis and Forecasting Information Services currently beingimplemented by QuickResponse Services, Inc.

The Collaborative Replenishment Information Subsystem 4 is realizedusing information storage/processing center 17, Client Computer Systems13 and the data communication networks 114 of the enabling technologyplatform shown in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2. Preferably, the product inventorymanagement services delivered by the Collaborative ReplenishmentInformation Subsystem 6 are provided by the prior art QRSolutionsReplenishment Services currently being implemented by QuickResponseServices, Inc.

The Transportation and Logistics Information Subsystem 7 is realizedusing information storage/processing center 17, Client Computer Systems13, and the data communication networks 14 of the enabling technologyplatform shown in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2. Preferably, the productdistribution management services delivered by the Transportation andLogistics Information Subsystem 7 are provided by the prior artQRSolutions EDI and Logistics Management Services currently beingimplemented by QuickResponse Services, Inc.

In the illustrative embodiment of the system of the present invention,each Client Computer 13 has a conventional GUI-based web browser program(e.g. Netscape, Internet Explorer, Mosaic, etc.) with a plug-in typemodule, such as CyberFinder™ navigational software by Aladdin Systems,Inc., of Watsonville, Calif., that provides an on-screen graphical iconfor a "IPI Web-site Find" function. An exemplary display screen 18produced by such a GUI-based web browser program is set forth in FIG.3B. Alternatively, the URL of the home page of the IPI Web-site can berecorded as a browser "bookmark" for easy recall and access through aconventional GUI-based Internet browser. Once at the home page of theIPI Web-site, an Internet user can find product-related information onthe Internet in essentially the same way as when using the web browserprogram of FIG. 3B. As shown, the on-screen IPI Web-site Find Icon 19functions as an "IPI Web-site Find" Button for instantly connecting theClient System to the IPI Web-site (i.e. hosted on each mirrored IPDServer) and carrying out the IPI finding and serving method of thepresent invention. The URL for the home page of the IPI Web-site can beselected with marketing considerations in mind, for example,"http://www.ipf.com" or "http://www.upcrequest.com" similar in form withthe URLs of other information search-engines and directories currentlyavailable on the Internet. Upon selecting the IPI Web-site Find Button19 (e.g. by a clicking of the mouse thereon shown in FIG. 3B), the useris automatically connected to the home-page of the IPI Web-site (hostedon each mirrored IPD Server) which, as shown in FIG. 3C, supports aNetscape-style "framework", within which web-pages accessed through theIPI web-site are displayed. An excellent tutorial on "framing" entitled"TheE Netscape Frames Tutorial™ (2nd edition)" by Charlton D. Rose setforth at the URL: "http://www.newbie.net/frames/", lasted visited byApplicant on Mar. 26, 1997.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the IPS Web-site of the illustrative embodiment hasa framework characterized by three-display fields 20A, 20B and 20C fordisplaying web pages. In alternative embodiments, there may be more orless display frames than that shown in FIG. 3C. Each frame acts as aseparate display screen where variables such as web-pages, scrolling,page colors, etc., are independently controllable. In practice, it issuggested that the physical layout of the Netscape-style browser"framework" be designed to simultaneously accommodate the needs of theconsumers using the particular Client Subsystems of the presentinvention, as well as the needs of the retailers who typically will hostclient subsystems hereof either (1) physically within their stores,and/or (2) electronically on their WWW sites using Web browser framingtechniques as well.

In the case of Client Subsystems physically hosted (i.e. located) withinthe environment of retail stores, a three-field browser framework asshown in FIG. 3C will be highly effective in meeting the needs of theretailer, consumer, and business organization delivering the IPI findingand serving subsystem of the present invention (hereinafter the "IPIProvider"). As shown in FIG. 3C, the first (top-most) display field 20Acan be used to display to the consumer, a Web page containing a messagethat the IPI finding and serving subsystem is being delivered to theconsumer by the IPI Provider under, for example, the sponsorship ofeither: (1) the hosting retailer; (2) one or more advertisers postingadvertising "banners"in the display frame 20A; or (3) the consumer himor herself by paying a subscription fee or the like. Understandably, themethod of sponsorship employed will vary from embodiment to embodimentof the present invention. An exemplary message for this display screenmight read, for example, as follows:

"Welcome to the UPC Request™ Consumer Product-Information Finding andServing System sponsored by THE HOME DEPOT for your shopping convenienceand pleasure."

The height of this display field 20A need only be a small fraction ofthe consumer's display screen (e.g. 3/4 inches) to convey this messageto the consumers during use of the IPI finding and serving subsystem ofthe present invention within the retailer's real (or virtual) shoppingenvironment.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the second (left-most) display field 20B is used todisplay a GUI-based "control panel" 21 for the IPI finding and servingsubsystem of the present invention. In the illustrative embodiment, thiscontrol panel 21 includes the IPI Find Button 21A, the UPN (e.g. UPC)Search Button 21B, and the Product Registration Button 21C which areactivatable whenever the IPI Web-Site (i.e. IPD Server 11) has beenaccessed through an Internet browser program running on a ClientComputer Subsystem. When selected, the IPI Find Button 21A activates theIPI Finding Mode of the IPI finding and serving subsystem. Whenselected, the UPC Search Button 21B activates the UPN Search Mode of theIPI finding and serving subsystem. When selected, the ProductRegistration Button 21C activates the Product Registration Mode of theIPI finding and serving subsystem. Each of these modes will be describedin great detail hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the third display field 20C, occupying asubstantial portion of the entire browser display screen, is used todisplay (1) Web pages that are served from the IPD Server 11 and areassociated with the operation of either the IPI Find Mode, the UPCSearch Mode or the Product Registration Mode of the system, and (2) Webpages that are served from the IPI Servers 11 and are associated withproducts registered with the IPI finding and serving subsystem.

As will become apparent hereinafter, the three-field Netscape-styledisplay framework employed within the IPI finding and serving subsystemof the illustrative embodiments provides a unique way to satisfactorilyaddress the needs of consumers, hosting retailers, manufacturers and theIPI Provider(s) alike. It is understood, however, that in someembodiments of the present invention, Client Computers may not employ"framed" browser display screens without detracting from the presentinvention.

In the illustrative embodiment, each synchronized IPD Server 11 can berealized by, for example, the PowerMac® 8550/200 Internet Server fromApple Computer, Inc., the Origin 200 Server, the O₂ Desktop Workstationfrom Silicon Graphics, Inc, or any other suitable computing machine thatcan perform the function of a HTTP server in the web-based,client-server type computer system architecture of the illustrativeembodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, each IPD Server is interfaced with anISP 10A in a conventional manner. The actual number of IPD Servers usedin any particular application will depend on various factors including,for example, user demand, Internet traffic conditions, network routercapacity and performance, etc. Each such IPD Server is assigned a staticIP address and a common domain name on the Internet according to theDomain Name System (DNS) well known in the art. Each IPD Server is alsoprovided with (i) Website development software for creating HTML-encodedpages for the IPI Web-site hereof, (ii) database software for creatingand maintaining the IPI Registrant Database and the Non-IPI RegistrantDatabase schematically illustrated in FIGS. 4A1 and 4B, respectively,and (iii) Web-Server software for supporting HTTP and servinginformation pages from the IPI Web-site and database requests from theIPI and Non-IPI Registrant Databases. Such databases, in practicerealized as relational database management systems (RDBMS), can beconstructed using a database programming language such as the 4thDimension® SQL Language, the Sybase language, or any other suitabledatabase language which allows for database programming and databaseconnectivity over the Internet. A suitable development program forcreating a dynamic Web-site with the integrated database structures ofFIGS. 4A1, 4A2, and 4B is the "4D Web SmartServer" or 4D Version 6.0,both from ACI, Inc. It is understood, however, that database developmentprograms such as Oracle, Sybase SQL, Powersoft, Microsoft Access 97,etc. can be used to construct and maintain the relational databasemanagement subsystems of the type illustrated in FIGS. 4A1, 4A2, and 4B.Data synchronization among such databases can be achieved usingconventional data synchronization techniques well known in the art. Inaddition, a backup and mirroring program can be used to maintain datasecurity. Preferably, the synchronized IPD Servers are maintained by ateam of network managers under supervision of one or more webmasters.

Similarly, each IPI Server 12 can be realized by, for example, thePowerMac® 8550/200 Internet Server from Apple Computer, Inc., the Origin200 Server or O2 Desktop Workstation from Silicon Graphics, Inc., or anyother computing machine that can perform the function of a Server in aweb-based, client-server type computer system architecture of theillustrative embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2, each IPI Serveris interfaced with an ISP 10A in a conventional manner. Each such IPIServer is assigned a static IP address and a unique domain name on theInternet. Each IPI Server is also provided with (i) Web-site developmentsoftware for creating HTML-encoded multi-media pages for Web-sitedevelopment, and (ii) Web-site server software for supporting HTTP andserving HTML-formatted pages of hypermedia-type Web-sites containingproduct related information of a multi-media nature. Such Web-sites canbe expressed in HTML and/or VRML or any other suitable language whichallows for Website construction and Web-site connectivity. Web-sitemanagement software, such as Adobe® SiteMill™, can be used to maintaincorrect hyper-links for any particular Web-site. Preferably, the IPIServers are maintained by a team of network managers under supervisionof one or more webmasters.

Each Client Computer Subsystem (hereinafter "Client System") 113 can berealized by any computing system employing operating system (OS)software (e.g. Macintosh, Windows 95, Windows NT, Unix, etc.) whichsupports an Internet browser program (e.g. Netscape Navigator, MicroSoftInternet Explorer, NCSC's Mosaic, etc.) which includes (1) Internetnetworking software that supports the TCP/IP networking protocol(required by HTTP, FTP and the like) and provides a GUI-based Webbrowser interface, and (2) Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) networkingsoftware that supports EDI between two or more Client Systems over theEDI network 14 illustrated in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2. Alternatively, ClientSystems may also be realized by any of the following systems: (i) aNewton MessagePad 130 (running the Newton 2.0 Operating System andNetHopper™ Internet Software); (ii) a Pippin™ computer system from AppleComputer, Inc.; (iii) a network computer (NC) that supports the Java™programming language and Java applets expressed therewith; (iv) a Sony®WebTV Internet Terminal (supported by the WebTV Service provided byWebTV Network, Inc.); or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, each ClientComputer is interfaced with an ISP 10A in a conventional manner. Eachsuch Client System may be assigned a static IP address and a uniquedomain name on the Internet, or one may be dynamically assigned theretoby way of its ISP depending on its connectivity. Optionally, any ClientSystem may include Web-site server software for creating and maintainingone or more hypermedia-type Web-sites in a manner well known in the art.

Typically, each Client System 13 will be maintained by either present115 or future manufacturers, retailers and/or consumers of products,about which information can be found on the Internet. As shown in FIG.3A1, any Client System of the present invention may be realized as adesktop computer workstation comprising: a processor and memory 19; avisual display monitor 20; a keyboard 21; a GUI mouse 22; and a bar codesymbol reader 23 for reading UPC and other types of bar code symbolsprinted on products, brochures, documents, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3A2, any Client Computer 13 may also be realized in theform of a Web-based multi-media kiosk, designed for use as a "virtualsales agent" within retail shopping environments. As shown, theWeb-based kiosk of the present invention comprises: a floor, wall orceiling supported housing 25; an onmidirectional laser bar code symbolreader (e.g. Metrologic MS 6720 Laser Scanner) 26 for reading UPC (andother type of) symbols printed on products, brochures, documents and thelike; an active-matrix LCD-type visual display screen 27 for viewingproduct related information automatically displayed thereon in responseto the entry of the UPC numbers scanned into the UPC Number Entry Window21D below the IPI Finder button 21A of Control Strip 20B displayed onthe Client System, as shown in FIG. 3A2; a touch-screen type keyboardand pointing device 28 for clicking on anchored links on Web pages,entering information into Client System during its use; audio-speakers29A for supporting a multimedia Web-site that may be visited when usingthe Client System; a color or black/white printer for printer 29B forprinting out Web pages under consumer command during an informationfinding session using the system; and also, one or more floppy-disc(s)(or otherwise removable) drive units 29C, accessible to the consumer forrecording promotional and trial versions of information-based consumerproducts (e.g. video and audio recordings, computer softeware products,and the like) on removable information storage media (e.g. 1.44 MBfloppy discs, 100 MB Zip® floppy discs, 1 GB Jazz® floppy discs, etc.)supplied by either the retailer or consumer. Optionally, the kiosk canbe provided with a stereoscopic micropolarizing LCD panel from Vrex,Inc. of Elmsford, N.Y. so that micropolarized spatially-multiplexedimages (SMIs) of 3-D objects represented with VRML-encoded Web pages canbe stereoscopically perceived by consumers when viewed through either anelectrically-passive polarizing visor structure supported from thehousing of the kiosk, or a pair of polarizing eyeglasses tethered to thekiosk housing and donned by the consumer. Notably, by virtue of itscompact size and low power requirements, this Web-based kiosk can beeasily located in supermarkets, department stores, superstores,home-centers, discount retail outlets, or any other public locationwhere consumer-products are being sold, offered for sale, and/orserviced.

In alternative embodiments, any Client Computer 13 can be realized as anetwork computer (NC), a Web-TV™ type Internet Terminal, a NewtonMessagePad® PDA, or any other device providing Internet access to theIPI Web-site (i.e. mirrored IPD Servers) of the present invention.Notably, the same functionalities provided within the Web-based kioskdescribed above can be embodied with such alternative embodiments ofclient computer system.

The Database Structure of the IPD Server

In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, eachdata-synchronized IPD Server 11 of the preferred embodiment maintains atleast two different relational-type databases, namely: a IPI RegistrantDatabase for storing information about manufacturers whose products areregistered with the system; and a Non-IPI Registrant Database forstoring information about manufacturers whose products are notregistered with the system. A schematic representation of the IPIRegistrant Database is shown in FIG. 4A1, whereas a schematicrepresentation of the Non-IPI Registrant Database is shown in FIG. 4B.

As shown in FIG. 4A1, the relational-type IPI Registrant Databasemaintained by each IPD Server comprises a plurality of labelledinformation fields for each product "registered" therewith, namely: anIPN Information Field for storing information (e.g. numeric oralphanumeric string) representative of the Universal Product Number(e.g. twelve-digit UPC Version A number or eight-digit UPC Version Enumber) assigned to the consumer product; a Company Name InformationField for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string)representative of the name of the company making, selling ordistributing the corresponding product; a URL Information Field(s) forstoring information (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string) representativeof the Universal Resource Locator (URL) or Universal Resource Locators(URLs) at which information resource(s) of the multimedia type can befound on the Internet relating to the corresponding consumer product; aTrademark Information Field for storing information (e.g. text and/oralphanumeric strings) representative of each trademark (or Domain Name)used in connection with the promotion, sale, distribution and/or use ofthe corresponding product, and preferably registered with the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or other governmental orquasi-governmental agency (e.g. INTERNIC or Network Solutions, Inc.); aProduct Description Information Field for storing information (e.g. textstrings) descriptive of the corresponding product; an E-mail AddressInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the e-mail address of the correspondingcompany (e.g. manufacturer) on the Internet; and a Status InformationField for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string)representative of whether the company (e.g. manufacturer) associatedregistered product has paid their monthly, quarterly or annualregistration fees associated with registration within the IPD Servers ofthe information finding and serving subsystem hereof. Notably, eachinformation item contained with the information field shown along thesame horizontal line of FIG. 4A1 are related or linked.

In general, the URL stored in the URL Information Field specifies theaddress of an information resource on the Internet (e.g. Web), and thusmay point to any one of the following types of information resources: aHTML document or file on the World Wide Web (expressed in the HyperTextMarkup Language); a single record in a database; the front-end of anInternet program such as Gopher; or the results of a query made usinganother program. In accordance with convention, the syntactic structureof each URL generally comprises: a Protocol Specifier, such as "http","ftp", "gopher", "news", or "mailto", and specifies the type of resourcethat the URL is pointing (i.e. connecting) to; a Host Indicator,represented by double slashes "//" if the URL is requesting informationfrom a Web Server; Server Name comprising a Internet Domain Name (e.g."www."), the address of the Web Server (e.g. "ibm."), and a designator(e.g. "com", "edu", "int", "mil", "net", "org", etc.) identifying whoowns the server or where it is located; a Path Name, such as"Products/Computers/", indicating a path to the destination informationfile on the identified Server; and a Resource Name (including fileextension, e.g. ".html"), such as "aptiva.html", identifying the actualnamed information file that contains actual information resourcespecified by the URL.

As used herein as well as in the Claims to Invention, the term"registered" and the variants thereof shall be understood to mean listedor having an entry within a database. Such listing or entry can beachieved in a variety of ways including, but not limited to: (i) byspecific request of the associated company or business; or (ii) by thesystem administrator without a request and/or authorization of thecorresponding company or business linked to the product.

Notably, each information item contained with the information fieldshown along the same horizontal line of FIG. 4A1 is symbolically relatedor linked. Different products of the same registrants or relatedregistrant may also be linked together so that a user looking forinformation about a particular product is automatically provided URLswhich are assigned to related products of the registrant which maysatisfy the goals or objectives of a particular advertising and/ormarketing campaign or product promotion program of the registrantcompany. As it may be desired to relate particular products atparticular points in time, the relationships therebetween can bedynamically changed within the IPI Registrant Database by astraightforward database updating operation carried out by a systemadministrator (or manager) who, in theory, can be located virtuallyanywhere throughout the world. Expectedly, such database updatingoperations would be carried out using appropriate system access andsecurity procedures well known in the art.

Inasmuch as the UPC data structure is presently employed as a universalproduct identifier (i.e. a primary data structure) in a majority ofindustries throughout the world, its twelve-digit numeric string (forUPC Version A) or eight-digit numeric string (for UPC Version E) will bea preferred UPN (in many applications) for purposes of carrying out theprinciples of the present invention. This twelve (12) digithuman-readable number, printed on the bottom of each UPC label (andencoded within the bars and spaces of the UPC label itself), comprises:(i) a six digit manufacturer number assigned to the manufacturer by theUniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC) of Dayton, Ohio, and consisting of aone digit "number system" number and a five digit manufacturer code;(ii) a five digit "product" number assigned to the product by themanufacturer; and (iii) a one digit modulo check digit (mathematicallycalculated) and added to each UPC number to check that the code has beenread correctly by the bar code symbol reader.

In order to provide the requester greater control over what informationis actually displayed on its Client System, the URL Information Field ofthe IPI Database shown in FIG. 4A1 contains a number of informationsubfields. As shown in FIG. 4A2, these information subfields comprise: aProduct Advertisement Information Field for storing informationrepresentative of URLs pointing to information on the Internet relatingto advertising and/or promotion of the product; a Product Specification(i.e. Description) Information Field for storing informationrepresentative of URLs pointing to information on the Internet relatingto specifications on the product; a Product Update Information Field forstoring information representative of URLs pointing to information onthe Internet relating to product updates, recalls, notices, etc; aProduct Distributor (e.g. Wholesaler and/or Resaler) Information Fieldfor storing information representative of URLs pointing to informationon the Internet relating to distribution, sale and/or ordering of theproduct; a Product Warranty/Servicing Information Field for storinginformation representative of URLs pointing to information on theInternet relating to warranty, extended warranty offerings, servicingand maintenance of the product; a Product Incentive Information Field(e.g. rebates, discounts and/or coupons) for storing informationrepresentative of URLs pointing to information on the Internet relatingto rebates, discounts and sales on the product; a Product ReviewInformation Field for storing information representative of URLspointing to information on the Internet relating to reviews, analysis,testing, inspection and/or comparison of the product; and MiscellaneousInformation Field(s) for storing information representative of URLspointing to information on the Internet relating to miscellaneousaspects of the product (e.g., direct product sales on the WWW, productinstallation/set-up and operating manuals, company reports (10Ks, annualreports, etc.), and the like. Each URL symbolically linked to aUPC-labelled product registered in the Registered IPI Database iscategorized within one or more of these URL categories.

The list of URLs recordable in the IPI Registrant Database for eachregistered UPC-labelled product is virtually unlimited. Below are just afew examples of how the IPI finding and serving subsystem hereof can beused as a virtual sales agent that provides value-added services toconsumers, retailers and the like.

For each CD sound recording, the URL list may contain a URL that pointsto a promotional QuickTime® video recording or the like on the WWW forreviewing and evaluation by the consumer. The promotional song can be bya commissioned or endorsing artist, as is typically done in conventionaladvertising programs. The same can be done for video recordings on tapeand digital video discs (DVDs). The URL may also provide the consumerwith a down-loadable trial version of the product for a limited timeperiod.

For each computer software product, the URL list may contain a URL thatpoints to a multi-media clip on the WWW that provides a demonstration ofthe solutions that the software product provides, as well as thefunctions and development tools that it enables. It may also provide theconsumer with a down-loadable version of the software product for atime-limited trial period.

For electronic consumer products, the URL list may contain a URL thatpoints to a multi-media clip on the WWW that provides an audio-visualdemonstration of the product in various user environments. Also, the URLcan contain a URL that points to a Web-based Specification Sheet thatcan be printed out in a retail environment, at home, work or on theroad.

For groceries and like articles, the URL list may contain a URL thatpoints to a multi-media clip on the WWW that provides an QuickTime®video recording or the like of the product, illustrating various cookingrecipes and uses to which the product can be put. Also, the URL cancontain a URL that points to a Web-based Discount Coupon that can beprinted out in the store, at home or work.

For toys, the URL list may contain a URL that points to a multi-mediaclip on the WWW that provides an audio-visual demonstration of the toyalong with promotional endorsements by the various characters used inits advertising campaign.

For clothing, garments, or accessories (e.g. wearing apparel), the URLlist may contain a URL that points to a multi-media clip on the WWW thatprovides an QuickTime® video recording or the like of the clothing,garments, and/or accessories being modelled by stunning fashion models.Ideally, such video recordings, linked to particular articles of wearingapparel by their UPC number, can be used to extend and augment theadvertising campaign being carried out in other forms of media (e.g.Television, radio, print, billboards, etc.).

Preferably, the manufacturer, its marketing personnel and advertisingagents will actively participate in the creation of the product relatedinformation resources, as well as the placement of their URLs into theabove-defined (or like) URL categories maintained within the Database ofthe IPI finding and serving subsystem hereof. Through such activeparticipation, the business objectives of any particular manufacturersor retailer can be promoted by way of the IPI finding and servingsubsystem of the present invention. In this way, the informationrequesting consumer is provided with only the kinds of product-relatedinformation which he or she seeks.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the Non-IPI Registrant Database maintained by eachIPD Server comprises a plurality of labelled information fields for eachproduct that is not currently registered with the IPD Server, namely: anIPSN (i.e. IPN) information Field for storing information (e.g. numericor alphanumeric string) representative of the Universal Product Number(e.g. a UPC number from a UPC numbering system, or an EAN numberingsystem) assigned to the non-registered product; a Company NameInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the name of the company making, selling ordistributing the corresponding non-registered product; a TrademarkInformation Field for storing information (e.g. text and/or alphanumericstrings) representative of each trademark used in connection thepromotion, sale, distribution and/or use of the corresponding product,and preferably registered with the USPTO or other governmental agency; aProduct Description Information Field for storing information (e.g. textstrings) descriptive of the corresponding product; and an E-mail AddressInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the e-mail address of the correspondingcompany (e.g. manufacturer) on the Internet; a Status Information Fieldfor storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string)representative of whether the company associated non-registered producthas been solicited by the IPD Server, and on what dates registrationsolicitation has occurred. Notably, each information item contained withthe information field shown along the same horizontal line of FIG. 4A1are related or linked. The information required to construct the Non-IPIRegistrant Database shown in FIG. 4B can be readily obtained from anumber of commercially or publicly available information sources (e.g.,the Universal Code Council, Inc., Dayton, Ohio; Quickresponse Services,Inc. of Richmond, Calif.; General Electric Information Services (GEIS)of Delaware, Md.; etc.

Communication Protocols For Carrying Out The IPI Finding and ServingSubsystem And Method Of The Present Invention

In general, there are a number of possible communication protocols thatcan be used to carry out the IPI Subsystem and method of the presentinvention. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, a first communication protocol isschematically depicted for a first system having both the IPI Find andUPN Search Modes of operation, whereas the basic operations carried outthereby are shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, a secondcommunication protocol is schematically depicted for both the IPI Findand UPN Search Modes of operation, whereas the basic operations carriedout thereby are shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The details of such protocolswill be described below.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the high level structure is shown for a first-typeof communication protocol that can be used among a Client System C_(a),an IPD Server S_(b), and an IPI Server S_(c) of the IPI finding andserving subsystem hereof when the GUI browser program on the ClientSystem is in its IPI Find Mode of operation. FIG. 6A provides a highlevel flow chart illustrating the steps involved in carrying out thiscommunication protocol when the Client System is in its IPI Find Mode ofoperation.

In order to enter the IPI Find mode of the system, the user selects the"IPI Find" Button 21A on the control strip 21 of the framed Internetbrowser screen. Then at Block A of FIG. 6A, a UPN (e.g. UPC number) isprovided as input to IPD Server S_(b), and in response thereto theClient System C_(a) requests the IPD Server S_(b) to provide eachregistered URL_(i) stored in the IPI Registrant Database.

At Block B in FIG. 6A, the IPD Server S_(b) analyses the IPI RegistrantDatabase shown in FIG. 4A1 to determine whether or not a symbolicallylinked URL_(i) has been registered with UPN_(i) that has been providedas input. If so, then the IPD Server sends the symbolically linkedURL_(i) to the Client System C_(a). If not, then the IPD records in theURL-request in the Non-IPI Registrant Database shown in FIG. 4B.

At Block C in FIG. 6A, the Client System C_(a) receives the URL_(i) fromthe IPD Server. Then, in response to a URL selection query based on thecontent of information subfields shown in FIG. 4A2 and displayed on thescreen of the Client System C_(a), the Client System C_(a) requests theIPI Server, identified by the user selected URL_(i), to provide theproduct information located by the registered URL_(i). Having accessedand displayed such product related information at the Client System, theuser can review the information at the specified URL_(i), acquireknowledge about the product, and may, if the option is provided at theURL-specified Web-site, purchase the product by way of an on-screenelectronic commercial transaction. Such commercial transaction caninvolve product ordering, delivery specification, and financing throughthe use of credit or debit card transactions, COD arrangements, or anyother financial arrangement acceptable to the vendor of the product.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the high level structure is shown for thefirst-type of communication protocol that can be used among a ClientSystem C_(a), an IPD Server S_(b), and an IPI Server S_(c) of the IPIfinding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browser program on theClient System is in its UPN Search Mode of operation. FIG. 6B provides ahigh level flow chart illustrating the steps involved in carrying outthis communication protocol when the Client System is in its UPN SearchMode of operation.

In order to enter the UPN Search Mode of the system, the user selectsthe "UPN Search" Button 21B on the control strip 21 of the framedInternet browser display screen. Then at Block A of FIG. 6B, a trademarkTM_(i) and/or a company name CN_(i) is provided as input to IPD ServerS_(b) by way of the browser display screen. Then in response thereto,the Client System C_(a) requests the IPD Server S_(b) to provide eachregistered UPN_(i) stored in the IPI Registrant Database, and if so,then also its URL_(i) to the Client Computer System.

At Block B in FIG. 6A, the IPD Server S_(b) analyses the IPI RegistrantDatabase shown in FIG. 4A1 to determine whether or not a symbolicallylinked UPN_(i) has been registered with a TM_(i) and/or a company nameCN_(i) that has been provided as input to the IPD Server S_(b) by way ofthe browser display screen. If so, then the IPD Server sends to theClient System C_(a), the URL_(i) that is symbolically linked to theregistered UPN_(i). If not, then the IPD records in the URL-request inthe Non-IPI Registrant Database shown in FIG. 4B for futureregistration-request operations related to the TM_(i) sent by the ClientSystem.

At Block C in FIG. 6B, the Client System C_(a) receives the URL_(i) fromthe IPD Server, Then, in response to a URL selection query based on thecontents of the information subfields shown in FIG. 4A2 and displayed onthe screen of the Client System C_(a) the Client System requests the IPIServer, identified by the user selected URL_(i), to provide the productinformation. Having accessed and displayed such product relatedinformation at the Client System, the user can review the information atthe specified URL_(i), acquire knowledge about the product, and may, ifthe option is provided at the URL-specified Web-site, purchase theproduct by way of an on-screen electronic commercial transaction, asdescribed hereinabove.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the high level structure is shown for a second,alternative type of communication protocol that may be used among aClient System C_(a) an IPD Server S_(b), and an IPI Server S_(c) of theIPI finding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browser program onthe Client System is in its IPI Find Mode of operation. FIG. 8A providesa high level flow chart illustrating the steps involved in carrying outthis communication protocol when the Client System is in its IPI FindMode of operation.

In order to enter the IPI Find mode of the system, the user selects the"IPI Find" Button 21A on the control strip 21 of the browser displayscreen. Then at Block A of FIG. 8A, a UPN is provided as input to IPDServer S_(b), and in response thereto the Client System C_(a) requeststhe IPD Server S_(b) to provide each registered URL_(i) stored in theIPI Registrant Database.

At Block B in FIG. 8A, the IPD Server S_(b) analyses the IPI RegistrantDatabase shown in FIG. 4A1 to determine whether or not a symbolicallylinked URL_(i) has been registered with UPN_(i) that has been providedas input. If so, then in response to a URL selection query based on thecontents of the information subfields shown in FIG. 4A2 and displayed onthe screen of the Client System C_(a), the IPD Server sends to the IPIServer S_(b) hosting the user-selected URL_(i), a request for the IPIServer S_(c) to send product information at the selected URL_(i) to therequesting Client System C_(a). If the IPD Server S_(b) determines thatthere does not exist a URL_(i), in the IPI Registrant Databasesymbolically linked with the UPN_(i) provided as input to the ClientSystem C_(a) then the IPD Server S_(b) records the URL-request in theNon-IPI Registrant Database for future registration operations with thecompany related to the input UPN_(i).

At Block C in FIG. 8A, the IPI Server S_(c) receives the user-selectedURL_(i), sent from the IPD Server S_(b) and then provides to the ClientSystem C_(a) the product information located by the registered URL_(i).Having accessed and displayed such product related information at theClient System, the user can review the information at the selectedURL_(i), acquire knowledge about the product, and may, if the option isprovided at the URL-specified Web-site, purchase the product by way ofan on-screen electronic commercial transaction.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the high level structure is shown for thesecond-type of communication protocol that can be used among a ClientSystem C_(a), an IPD Server S_(b), and an IPI Server S_(c) of the IPIfinding and serving subsystem hereof when the GUI browser program on theClient System is in its UPN Search Mode of operation. FIG. 8B provides ahigh level flow chart illustrating the steps involved in carrying outthis communication protocol when the Client System is in its UPN SearchMode of operation.

In order to enter the UPN Search Mode of the system, the user selectsthe "UPN Search" Button 21B on the control strip of the browser displayscreen. Then at Block A of FIG. 8B, a trademark TM_(i) and/or a companyname CN_(i) is provided as input to IPD Server S_(b) by way of adialogue box displayed on the browser display screen. In responsethereto, the Client System C_(a) requests the IPD Server S_(b) todetermine whether or not a registered UPN_(i) (and thus symbolicallylinked URL_(i)) is stored in the IPI Registrant Database. If so, then inresponse to a URL-selection query based on the content of theinformation subfields shown in FIG. 4A2 and displayed on the displayscreen of the Client System C_(a), the IPD Server S_(b) sends the IPIServer S_(c) hosting the user-selected URL_(i), a request for the IPIServer S_(c) to send product information at the selected URL_(i) to therequesting Client System C_(a). If the IPD Server S_(b) determines thatthere is no registered UPNI (and thus no symbolically linked URL_(i))stored in the IPI Registrant Database, then the IPD Server records theURL request in the Non-IPI Registrant Database for future registrationoperations with the company related by the UPN_(i) sent by the ClientSystem C_(a).

At Block C in FIG. 8B, the IPI Server hosting the user-selected URL_(i)receives the request from the IPD Server S_(b) and then provides theproduct information identified by the registered URL_(i). Havingaccessed and displayed such product related information at the ClientSystem, the user can review the information at the specified URL_(i),acquire knowledge about the product, and may, if the option is providedat the URL-specified Web-site, purchase the product by way of anon-screen electronic commercial transaction.

The communication protocols described above can be realized using anysuitable programming language including, for example, an object-orientedprogramming language such as the Java™ programming language.

Registering Consumer Products With The IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem

The utility of the product finding functionalities of the system of thepresent invention depends in large part of the number ofconsumer-products registered with the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystemthereof. In principle, numerous techniques may be employed separatelyand in combination with each other in order to construct the IPI andNon-IPI Registrant Databases supported by the IPD Servers of the presentinvention. Five such tecnhiques will be detailed below.

According to a first database construction technique, the administratorof the IPI Registrant Database would transmit Product RegistrationRequests (PRRs) in the form of electronic documents to each and everythe manufacturer having been issued, for example, a six digit UPCManufacturer Identification Number (MIN) by the UCC, Inc. Suchelectronic documents can be transmitted using conventional MIMEprotocols such as, for example, STMP. The Product Registration Requestdocument would seek to ascertain from the manufacturers the variousinformation items (including the menu of URLs) identified in the IPIRegistrant Database of FIG. 4A1. In response to the Product RegistrationRequest, each solicited manufacturer would send back to theadministrator of the IPI Registrant Database (for each of its consumerproducts) its UPC number and a menu of URLs indicating the location ofthe information resources identified in the Product Registration Requestdocument. This information can then be used to readily construct the IPIRegistrant Database of the illustrative embodiment.

According to a second database construction technique, a globaladvertising campaign would be launched (over various media) in order tosolicit the various information elements identified in the IPIRegistrant Database of FIG. 4A1 and thus register the products of themanufacturers selling UPC-labelled products. Preferably, suchinformation would be collected by way of an electronic document transfersubsystem set-up to cooperate with the system of the present inventionin order to facilitate database construction operations.

According to a third database construction technique, the IPI systemitself would continuously solicit consumer product registrations overtime in order to collect information from companies responding favorablyto the solicitations. While such solicitation efforts can involve theissuance of product registration requests using various types of media,it is preferred that the information collection operations are carriedout using electronic document transfer techniques described hereinabove.

According to a fourth database construction technique, a number ofcommercial on-line Internet search engines, such as Altavista™, Yahoo™,WebCrawler™, Lycos™, Excite™, as well as powerful off-lineparallel-processing processing search engines, would be enlisted toanalyze (i.e. mine) information on the World Wide Web in order tocollect and link the information elements specified in the IPIRegistrant Database of FIG. 4A1.

Once an "initial" IPI Registrant Database has been constructed using anyone or more of the four database construction techniques describedhereinabove, manufacturers registered therewith can be periodicallycontacted using Web-based electronic document (i.e. message) transfertechniques in order to request updating and confirmation of the UPC/URLlistings contained within the database of the IPI subsystem of thepresent invention.

According to a fifth database and preferred construction technique ofthe present invention, the Registrant IPI Database of the system wouldbe initially "seeded" with several items of information obtained andrelated without the assistance of manufacturers of UPC-labelledproducts. Such information items include: (1) the six digit UPCManufacturer Identification Numbers encoded in the UPC symbols (andnumbers) applied to the products of such UCC-registered manufacturers;and (2) the URLs of the Web home pages of such manufacturers.

The first step of this database construction method involves obtainingthe six digit Manufacturer Identification Numbers (MINs) uniquely issuedto manufacturers by the Uniform Code Council, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. SuchMINs can be obtained from various commercial sources including GEInformation Services, QuickResponse Services, Inc., as well as the UCC.At present, about 180,000 Manufacturers Identification Numbers have beenissued to manufacturers by the UCC. A string of six zeros (i.e. 000000)may be added to each one of these 180,000 or so six digit ManufacturerIdentification Numbers in order to produce 180,000 or so 12 digitnumbers (i.e. hereinafter referred to as "Manufacturer's ReferenceNumbers) for the 180,000 or so manufacturers listed in the IPIRegistrant Database under construction. As each such ManufacturerReference Number has the same length as a UPC number of itsmanufacturer, this number can be conveniently thought of as the"Manufacturer Reference UPC Number" which can be stored in the UPNInformation Field of the Database along with the correspondingmanufacturers name being stored in the Company Name Information Field.

The second step of the method involves finding the URL of the Web homepage of each of the 180,000 manufacturers who have been assigned aManufacturers Identification Code and are listed in the Database. SuchURL information can be found using a number of available techniques: (i)using a commercially available search engine to search the WWW in orderto find the URL of the home page of each manufacturer's Web-site, if ithas one, using the name and address thereof obtained during the firststep above; or (ii) using a commercially available (INTERNIC-enabled)Domain Name search service that uses the names and addresses of themanufacturers (obtained during the first step above) in order todetermine whether a particular manufacturer has a registered domain nameon the Internet, and if so, is the domain name being actively used in aURL that points to the home page of the manufacturer's Web-site. Onceobtained, such URLs are then added to the IPI Database, along with thee-mail and/or other address of the manufacturer symbolically linkedthereto (if available).

Having constructed the "seeded" Database, it can then be used to connectthe Client System of users to the home page of Web-sites ofmanufacturers of particular products. Initially, when an Internet userprovides the UPC number of a particular product as input to the UPCNumber Entry Window 21D of the Control Strip of the Client System(operated in its UPN Search Mode), then the IPD Server needs onlycompare the first six digits of the entered UPC number against the firstsix-digits of the Manufacturer Reference UPC Numbers (i.e. ManufactureIdentification Numbers) listed in the "seeded" Database. Thecorresponding (home-page) URL of the matching manufacturer is returnedto the Client System C_(a) for display. In the instance of an initiallyseeded Database, in which only the "Manufacturer Reference UPC Numbers"are listed therein, the requesting Client Systems are provided with theURLs of the home pages of the symbolically linked manufacturers. Then asmanufacturers begin to register their consumer products with the system(e.g. in response to mass e-mailings, advertisements and/or marketingand promotional efforts, etc.), the IPD Database will return a menu of"hot-linked" URLs, for each registered product, pointing to varioustypes of product-related information resources on the Internet(described above) that can be easily accessed by simply clicking thereonin a conventional manner. Over time, Manufacturer Reference UPC Numbersand the URLs of the "home pages" of such manufacturers will becomereplaced by the UPC numbers of registered products and the menu of URLson the WWW symbolically linked thereto by the manufacturers, therebyallowing consumers and users of the system to precisely pinpointconsumer product-related information on the WWW which has been specifiedby the manufacturer, its marketing department and/or advertising agency.With manufacturer's and advertiser's participation and feedback, theinitially seeded Database described hereinabove will quickly grow into arobust relational database richly filled with the various informationitems described in FIGS. 4A1 and 4A2, including the symbolically linkedUPCs and URLs that point to very specific consumer product relatedinformation resources (i.e. files) stored within IPI Servers of thesystem located across the global expanse of the Internet.

Registration Solicitation Mode Of The IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem

In the illustrative embodiments of the present invention, thedata-synchronized IPD Servers of the system hereof are also providedwith an "Automated Registration Solicitation Mode" programmed by thewebmaster (or administrator) of the IPI Web-site. In this mode, each IPDServer analyzes the data collected within its Non-IPI RegistrantDatabase. The data analysis procedure seeks to determine: (1) which"unregistered"products in the Non-IPI Registrant Database were thesubject of an information request at the IPD Server; (2) how many hits(requests) where made for the product within a predetermined length oftime (e.g. one week) by Internet users; and (3) whether the number ofrequests exceeds a particular "request threshold" (e.g. 100 requests inweek period). Then for each unregistered product which has exceeded therequest threshold, the IPD Server automatically sends an E-mail messageto the associated company. Preferably, the E-mail message is designed to(i) inform the company of recent information requests for theirproducts, and (ii) solicit the registration of such products with theIPD Server. Once registered with the system, such products can be easyfound on the Internet by anyone wishing to use the product informationfinding techniques of the present invention.

The Product Registration Mode Of The IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem

In the illustrative embodiments of the present invention, the IPIfinding and serving subsystem of the present invention is also providedwith an "Product Registration Mode" that can be activated by simplyselecting the Product Registration Button 21C on the control panel 21 ofthe framed Internet browser of any Client System 13. In general, thereare a number of different ways of carrying out the Product RegistrationMode of the subsystem. Each of these techniques will be described below.

The first method illustrated in FIGS. 2A1 and 2A2 involves by carryingout FTP between a Client System of the registering manufacturer (or itsagent) M_(i) and an IPD Server in order to update the IPI RegistrantDatabase associated therewith. This can be carried out by themanufacturer's officer or agent surfing to the IPI Website, selectingthe "Product Registration Mode" from the control strip, and thenfollowing the instructions displayed on the various screens of theWebsite in this mode. When using the first method, product UPCs, URLsand other information elements can be formatted within suitable ProductRegistration Forms and transmitted by FTP from the Client System orDatabase Server of a registering manufacturer to the IPD Server 11 sothat the IPI Registrant Database thereof can be updated accordingly. Thefirst method will be desirable typically when registering a fewconsumer-products.

The second method illustrated in FIG. 2B, involves first carrying outEDI between a Client System of the registering manufacturer (or itsagent) and the UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9, and then carrying out FTPor SMTP between the Client System and an IPD Server in order to updatethe IPI Registrant Database maintained therein. The second method willbe desirable when a manufacturer needs or desires to register a largenumber of consumer-products. The details of these informationtransmission methods will be described below.

When using the second method, conventional EDI protocols can be used totransmit product UPCs, URLs and other information elements from ClientSystems or Database Servers of manufacturers to the UPC/URL DatabaseSubsystem 9 of the present invention. FTP can be used to transmit UPCsand URLs from the UPC/URL Database Subsystem to each IPD Server in thesystem so that the IPI Registrant Database thereof can be updatedaccordingly. Once registered with the system using either of thesemethods in the Product Registration Mode, such consumer-products can beeasy found on the Internet by anyone wishing to use the product findingtechniques of the present invention.

The third method involves carrying out electronic document interchangeover the Internet between the WebDox Remote™ Computer System 13 and theWebDox™ Server 30 of the system of the present invention, andcommunication between the WebDox™ Server 30 and the WebDox™ Admincomputer system 31 of the system hereof. The various steps involved inthis embodiment of the consumer product registration process will bedescribed in detail below.

When the manufacturer selects the "Product Registration Mode" of thesystem, WebDox Remote™ software, customized to the UPC/URL-Menurequirements of the system, is automatically downloaded from the WebDOX™Server 30 to the manufacturer's client computer system (i.e. the WebDoxRemote™ Computer System) 13. At the end of the software installationprocess on the Manufacturer's client computer system, a ManufacturerRegistration Form is presented and the manufacturer enters someidentification information and presses the "Send" button on theManufacturer Registration Form. The form is then transmitted immediatelyvia the Internet and received by the WebDOX™ Server 30. At the WebDox™Server 30, an automated process takes the information in theManufacturer Registration Form and registers the Manufacturer.

When the WebDox Remote™ Computer System 13 (of a particularmanufacturer) receives the UPC/URL Registration Application (program)from the WebDOX™ Server 30, it automatically installs it and anActivation Form is displayed. After selecting the "UPC/URL Registration"document(s) for use by the manufacturer, the manufacturer then pressesthe "Send"button on the Activation Form. The Activation Form is receivedby the WebDox Server and the WebDox Admin. System is updated. This tellsWebDox Server that it will be exchanging the "UPC/URLRegistration"documents with the manufacturer. The Manufacturer is nowregistered with the system, and ready for UPC/URL Registration documentexchange.

The WebDox Remote™ computer system 13 available to each manufacturer hasboth online and offline modes of operation. In the offline mode, themanufacturer prepares, in response to a UPC/URL Registration Requestfrom the WebDox™ Server, a UPC/URL Registration Response document thatcontains a set of currently active URLs specifying the address locationof Web-based information resources associated with each UPC-encodedproduct of the manufacturer, and then establishes an Internet connectionwith the WebDox™ Server from the WebDox Remote program, through a"Get/Send Mail" option. This delivers the UPC/URL Registration Response(message) to the WebDox™ Server 30 and retrieves any documents which arewaiting thereat for the manufacturer. These new documents are listed byWebDox Remote™ program and presented in the InBasket of themanufacturer's WebDox Remote™ computer system 13.

In the online mode, WebDox Remote™ (under the control of the FormApplication) can also send UPC/URL Registration Request documentsimmediately. For very sensitive applications (i.e. Just-in-Time), thisensures that the UPC/URL Registration Response document is received atthe WebDox™ Server 30 the moment that the manufacturer completes thedocument, provided that the UPC/URLs are prelisted and accessible to theWebDox Remote™ program.

In general, the WebDox™ Server 30 provides a high-volume documentprocessing and mailboxing environment between the WebDox Server and theWebDox Remote™ system of each registered manufacturer. WebDoX™ Server 30performs: permanent storage and tracking of all UPC/URL RegistrationRequest documents sent and UPC/URL Registration Response documentsreceived; automatic reconciliation of acknowledgments from WebDoxRemote™ program; Automatic creation of user-friendly receipt messages tothe manufacturer; "mailboxing" of outbound UPC/URL Registrationdocuments for retrieval by manufacturer; and automatic manufacturer andprofile creation based on forms received from manufacturers. The WebDox™Server 30 consists of online components that run as extensions toMicrosoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) using the ISAPI interface.This provides higher performance and lower hardware requirements than aconventional CGI Web Interface. Processing intensive tasks are performedasynchronously from the Web server. An integrated queuing anddispatching system manages the processing of documents and interactionwith the corresponding application. For large volume situations, theWebDox™ Server components can be deployed on different machines, theWebDox™ Server components (ISAPI extensions) on one machine, theprocessing components and database on another machine.

Data for UPC/URL Registration Request documents to be sent tomanufacturers is extracted from the IPI Registrant Database using aninterface or utility program. The document data (e.g. Information fieldsassociated with UPC/URL registration) can then be accepted by WebDox ina direct manner after formatting. The UPCIURL Registration Requestdocument should be formatted to a file structure created during thedesign of the UPC/URL Registration Application. WebDox™ Server thenconverts the application data into a UPCIURL Registration requestdocument (i.e. data package) for that particular Application. The datapackage for each manufacturer is then stored (as a message) in anassigned Mailbox of the WebDox™ Server 30. These messages are thenavailable to be retrieved by the registered manufacturers using WebDoxRemote's™ "Get/Send Mail" feature.

WebDox Remote™ system transmits messages (e.g. UPC/UR: RegistrationResponse documents) to the WebDox™ Server 30, where, after passingsecurity checks, they are placed in the WebDox Mailbox system. Incoming(document) messages are received from the Mailbox, processed, andconverted into data files for direct transfer to the database managementsystem handling the IPI Registrant Database.

For each document received, the WebDox™ Server 30 will return a messageto the manufacturer confirming receipt of the document. WebDox Remote™system also returns delivery confirmations to the WebDox Server. Thesemessages are used by the WebDox™ Server to track the status of messages.WebDox™ Server 30 maintains Mailbox Files for all inbound and outboundmessages. The status of messages is updated on an ongoing basis asacknowledgement that messages are received, allowing timely and preciseaudits.

WebDox Admin™ Computer system 31 provides an easy-to-use tool to managethe community of manufacturers, review the status of documents, andconfigure the WebDox™ Server 30, including: ad hoc maintenance ofmanufacturer information; online display of the Mailbox permittinginquiry into document status or document activity for particularmanufacturers, and the ability to reset document status; creation andmaintenance of UPC/URL Registration Profiles; preparation of "releases"of new and updated UPC/URL Registration Applications; Distribution ofnew and updated UPC/URL Registration Applications; and automaticinventory and tracking of UPC/URL Registration Applications distributedto manufacturers.

In the preferred embodiment, UPC/URL Registration Application design anddevelopment is carried out on a Windows 95 or NT workstation. TheUPC/URL Registration Application is developed, tested, and then fullyimplemented for production with manufacturers. New or updated UPC/URLRegistration Applications are registered with the WebDox Admin™ computersystem 31 and are then distributed to the manufacturers as describedherein above.

In the preferred embodiment, UPC/URL Registration Applications aredeveloped using Microsoft Visual Basic™ and related software tools.These products provide rapid design and creation of the screen-basedforms that the manufacturer uses. In addition, the "intelligence" behindthe form, in the UPC/URL Registration Application, can be very powerful,making the manufacturer's work easier while ensuring that the user andServer application receive high quality data.

The WebDox Admin™ system handles the distribution of UPC/URLRegistration Applications to manufacturers. New UPC/URL RegistrationApplications can be sent to some or all of the existing manufacturersassigned UPC Manufacturer Identification Numbers. Updates to UPC/URLRegistration Applications can be sent to manufacturers who are currentlyusing that UPC/URL Application. The actual update is distributed bysending a small notification message to each manufacturer, which thenresults in the remote site downloading the new forms from the WebDox™Server 30, as hereinbefore described above.

Operation of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem and Method Hereof

In the above-described embodiments of the system hereof, each ClientSystem is provided with two independent modes of operation relating to"information access", namely: the "IPI Find Mode" and the "UPN SearchMode".

When the "IPI Find" button is selected from the control panel 21displayed in frame 21B, the system (i.e. the Internet browser program)enters its the IPI Find Mode. Preferably, the user is provided with achoice of language (e.g. English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese,etc.) by way of an appropriate menu-selection screen. After the desiredlanguage selection is made, the home page is displayed upon the ClientSystem's display screen. A typical display screen produced from the IPDServer might read as follows:

"Welcome to UPC-REQUEST™, the only Universal Product-Information Findingand Serving System on the Internet.

Have you purchased a particular product, or considering the purchase ofa particular product, on which you would like current, up-to-dateinformation from the manufacturer or advertiser?

Look no further than the UPC-REQUEST™ Universal Product-InformationFinding and Serving System."

When the system is in its IPI Find Mode, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 6Aand 7A,8A, a Web-based information resource pertaining to any commercialproduct registered with the system can be displayed and selected by theuser in order to automatically access the same from the Internet. Suchinformation resources can include advertisements, specifications,operation descriptions, product simulations, purchase information,maintenance information, warranty and servicing information, productupdates, distributor/reseller information, incentives (e.g. discounts,rebates, coupons, etc.), electronic data transaction screens, etc. Inthis mode, desired product information is obtained by simply enteringthe registered product's UPN (e.g. its UPC's 12 digit numerical string)into the dialogue box of the Internet browser or Internet communicationtool. Such data entry can be carried out manually using a keyboard dataentry techniques, or automatically using an bar code symbol readerconnected to the Client System as discussed in detail above. When usingthe seeded IPI Database described hereinabove, only the first six digitsof the UPC number need be entered into the dialogue box. An exemplarydisplay screen produced from the IPD Server might be as follows:

"Simply enter the 12 digit UPC the particular product; click REQUEST,and then wait for the display of the list of Web locators (URLs) atwhich the desired product information can be found on the Internet?"

In response to such data entry operations, a list or menu of URLsorganized according to information subfield classifications as setforth, for example, in FIG. 4A2, are displayed on Client System C_(a)making the request of the IPD Server. At this stage, another displayscreen would appear with an exemplary message as follows:

"Please select the URL from the displayed URL Menu using the informationsubfield product information category displayed above. This will connectyou to the product information related to the selected URL. You canreturn to the URL display list at anytime."

Upon selecting a particular URL from the displayed URL menu, video andaudio information content are automatically served from the IPI Serverhosting the selected URL and thereafter displayed on the Client System.

When the "UPN Search" button is selected, the system enters its UPNSearch Mode". Preferably, the user is provided with a choice of language(e.g. English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, etc.) by way of anappropriate menu-selection screen.

When the system is in its UPN Search Mode, as illustrated in FIGS. 5B,6B and 7B, 8B, a predesignated information resource pertaining to anycommercial product registered with the system can be automaticallyaccessed from the Internet and displayed from the Internet browser of aClient System. Such information resources can include advertisements,specifications, operation descriptions, product simulations, productupgrade information, purchase information, maintenance information,warranty and servicing information, etc. In this mode, desired productinformation is obtained by simply entering the registered product'strademark(s) and/or associated company name into the dialogue box of theInternet browser or Internet communication tool. An exemplary displayscreen produced from the IPD Server might be as follows:

"Simply enter the trademark used in connection with the particularproduct and/or the company name of the product's manufacturer; clickREQUEST, and then wait for the display of a list of Web locators (URLs)at which desired types of product information can be found on theInternet?"

In response to such data entry operations, a list of URLs organizedaccording to the information subfield classifications set forth in FIG.4A2 are displayed on Client System placing the request. Upon selecting aparticular URL from the displayed list thereof, video and audioinformation content are automatically served from the IPI Server hostingthe selected URL and thereafter displayed on the Client System.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the "IPI FindMode" and the "UPN Search Mode" can be integrated into a single serverapplication so that there is no need or desire to manually select IPIFind and UPN Search Mode buttons 21A and 21B, respectively. In such anembodiment, the interaction between the IPD Server and the requestingClient System can be designed to support the following Web serverdisplay screens and script underlying the same:

"Welcome to UPC-REQUEST™, the only Universal Product-Information Findingand Serving System on the Internet.

Have you purchased a particular product, or considering the purchase ofa particular product, on which you would like current, up-to-dateinformation from the manufacturer or advertiser?

Look no further than the UPC-REQUEST™ Universal Product InformationFinding and Serving System."

"Simply enter the 12 digit UPC number of the particular product, clickREQUEST, and select from the displayed menu of Web locators (URLs) tofind the desired product information on the WWW.

"If you do not know the UPC number associated with the product you arelooking for, then simply enter the trademark used in connection with theparticular product and/or the company name of the manufacturer, thenclick REQUEST, and wait for the display of the list of Web locators(URLs) at which the desired product information can be found?

"Please select the URL from the displayed URL list by clicking on it.This will connect you to the product information related to the selectedURL. You can return to the URL display list at anytime."

Notably, such an integrated Web server application can be realized in avariety of ways. The exact words and graphics used to create aninteractive script for an integrated Web server application will varyfrom embodiment to embodiment of the present invention.

Modifications of the Illustrative Embodiments of the Invention

The present invention has been described in great detail with referenceto the above illustrative embodiments. It is understood, however, thatnumerous modifications will readily occur to those with ordinary skillin the art having had the benefit of reading the present disclosure.

For example, in the illustrative embodiments described hereinabove,separate databases are maintained by each data-synchronized IPD Serverfor (i) registered products within the system, and (ii) non-registeredproducts within the system. Notably, the reasons for using a dualdatabase design of this sort would be based largely on economics,namely: only those companies who have paid the required maintenance (orregistration) fees get their products and linked-URLs "registered" withthe system, whereas non-paying companies and organizations do not gettheir products and linked-URLs registered with the system, regardless ofhow such product-URL information is ascertained (e.g. by solicitationversus data-mining).

Thus it is contemplated that in some embodiments of the presentinvention, each IPD Server will be designed to maintain only a singledatabase serving product-URL information currently available on theInternet. In such embodiments of the present invention, the concept of"non-registered" products will be altogether avoided, since the systemimplementation and administration will (in all likelihood) be designedto not require companies to pay maintenance (or registration) fees inorder that their products and linked URLs are registered with the IPIsystem. Instead, some alternative income producing scheme will be usedin such embodiments of the present invention (e.g. user fees,subscription fees, Internet browser-licensing fees, etc.) for systemmaintenance and administration.

When practicing the system and method of the present invention, it ispreferred that the UPC label (with its human-readable UPC number)assigned to the particular product be attached, embossed or otherwiseembodied on an accessible surface thereof. In addition to applying theUPC label to the external packaging of the product, it is preferred thatthe UPC label also be printed on any and all product instructions andmanuals provided with the product. In this way, the UPC number can beeasily read by a human being and then used to access a desired type ofproduct information using the system and method of the presentinvention.

In order that the system hereof can be used to find informationpertaining to large products such as automobiles, motorcycles, skidoos,farm machinery, boats, etc., the present invention also contemplatesassigning UPC numbers to such products and attaching, embossing orotherwise embodying the same on an accessible surface thereof. Also, theUPC label can be printed on all instruction booklets and/or operatingmanuals normally provided with the product. In this way, informationrelated to any particular product that is posted anywhere on theInternet and linked to URLs registered with the IPD Servers of thesystem hereof can be readily found using the uniquely assigned UPCnumber assigned thereto by the manufacturer at the time of sale. Notablymultimedia information about such products can be most helpful in regardto the operation, repair and servicing of such products.

The system and method of the present invention has been shown to combinethe use of UPC numbers, trademarks and company names when making aproduct information request of the system. It is understood, however,that the present invention can be practiced using anyone of these itemsof information, alone or in combination with each other, in order toplace a product information request with the system hereof.

These and all other such modifications and variations are deemed to bewithin the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by theaccompanying Claims to Invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An Internet-supported kiosk for use by consumerswithin a retail shopping environment, said Internet-supported kioskcomprising:an optical scanner for reading UPC symbols on consumerproducts being offered for sale in said retail shopping environment;Internet access means for accessing a plurality of Internet-basedinformation servers containing product-related information resourcesthat are hyper-linked to UPC symbols on said consumer products; and adisplay screen for visually automatically displaying saidproduct-related information accessed from said Internet-basedinformation servers in response to the reading of said UPC symbols bysaid optical scanner.
 2. A system for collecting and transmittingproduct related information on the Internet, said system comprising:adatabase management subsystem includingURL/UPN information storage meansfor storing product-related information representative of (i) aplurality of universal product numbers (UPNs) assigned to a plurality ofproducts, and (ii) a plurality of URLs symbolically linked to saidplurality of UPNs, each said URL specifying the location of aninformation resource located on the Internet related to a particular oneof said products; and a database server connected to the Internet andsaid database management subsystem and including product-relatedinformation receiving and storage means for receiving and storing saidproduct-related information transmitted from said database managementsubsystem.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein said database serverfurther comprises:request servicing means for servicing a request madeby a client system, for information about one of said plurality ofproducts located on the Internet, wherein said request is transmitted tosaid Internet database server and includes information representative ofthe UPN assigned to said product.
 4. The system of claim 2, whichfurther comprises:a plurality of product-information servers, eachconnected to the Internet and includingproduct-related informationstorage means for storing information related to said plurality ofproducts, and information delivery means, responsive to said requestservicing means, for delivering to said client system, informationrelated to one of said plurality of products specified by the URLsymbolically linked to the UPN included in said request made by saidclient system.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein said UPN assigned toeach said product is a unique Uniform Product Code (UPC) number assignedto said product.
 6. An information collection system for collectingconsumer product related information from manufacturers over theInternet and transmitting said consumer product related information toan Internet-based consumer product information finding and servingsystem, said information collection system comprising:an informationcollecting server connected to the Internet and including(1) messagetransmitting means for transmitting a message over the Internet to aclient system associated with a manufacturer, requesting that consumerproduct related information associated with each product of amanufacturer to be registered with said Internet-based consumer productinformation finding and serving system, be transmitted over the Internetto said information collecting server, said consumer product relatedinformation being representative of (i) a plurality of universal productnumbers (UPNs) assigned to a plurality of consumer products, and (ii) aplurality of URLs symbolically linked to said plurality of UPNs, eachsaid URL specifying the location of an information resource located onthe Internet related to a particular one of said consumer products, and(2) information storage means for storing said consumer product relatedinformation; and (3) information transmission means for transmittingsaid consumer product related information to said Internet-basedconsumer product information finding and serving system for subsequentstorage therein.
 7. The information collection system of claim 6, whichfurther comprises a computer system interconnected to said informationcollecting server, for administrating the registration of consumerproducts of manufacturers with said Internet-based consumer productinformation finding and serving system.